U.S. Liftoff Delayed Again

By WARREN E. LEARY, Special to The New York Times

Published: February 23, 1990

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Feb. 22—
The launching of the space shuttle Atlantis and its secret military cargo was postponed again today until at least Saturday morning.

Poor weather and an astronaut's cold forced a similar delay Wednesday. The commander of the five-man mission, Capt. John O. Creighton of the Navy, has a sore throat and nasal congestion, and rainy, windy weather persisted in the predawn hours best suited for beginning the secret mission.

In announcing the delay of at least 24 hours, officials at the Kennedy Space Center said they hoped to launch the shuttle between midnight and 4 A.M. Saturday. They said that Captain Creighton's upper respiratory tract infection had improved, but that he was still under treatment.

Kyle Herring, a spokesman for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, said that flight surgeons who examined the astronaut recommended a further delay.

NASA officials said an examination of historical records showed they were wrong Wednesday when they said Captain Creighton's cold was the first time a manned space flight had been delayed because of health problems. In February 1969, illness delayed the earth-orbiting test flight of Apollo 9.

Although neither military nor civilian officials will discuss the payload of the sixth military mission in 34 space shuttle flights, officials speaking anonymously said it was a giant, dual-purpose reconnaissance satellite that is to take detailed pictures and eavesdrop on communications in the Soviet Union.